Medicaid expansion

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he'll make a renewed push to expand Medicaid now that Republican primaries are over and the U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.

McAuliffe said Thursday in a conference call with reporters that the Republican lawmakers who have previously blocked Medicaid expansion will be more open to compromise during next year's legislative session.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to unveil his plan to increase health care coverage for the state's poor.

The Democratic governor will speak publicly Monday on his plans for health care expansion.

The governor unsuccessfully tried to persuade Republican lawmakers to expand Medicaid during this year's legislative session. The impasse led to a protracted stalemate over the state budget that ended with a GOP victory.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Republican legislative leaders are scheduling a special session in September to debate whether to expand Medicaid eligibility, something GOP lawmakers have already made clear they oppose.

House Speaker William J. Howell and Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment announced Wednesday the General Assembly will be back into session during the week of Sept. 22.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to propose a 2 percent raise for state employees when lawmakers return to Richmond for a special session in which they will try to pass a roughly $96 billion two-year budget.

McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said Sunday that the raise would apply to virtually all full-time state employees and would go into effect in March 2015. Coy declined to say from where the roughly $200 million to cover the raises will come.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates is set to vote against a proposal to accept federal Medicaid funding.

A largely symbolic full floor vote is scheduled for Thursday. Republican leaders said they wanted to show they are united in opposition to a proposal by the Democratically controlled Senate to expand publicly funded health insurance coverage for low-income Virginians.

Democrats and a few Republican senators want Virginia to take the federal funds, saying the state's working poor need the extra help.